LogFAQs > #951915495

Where to begin?

-Women face intense social pressure from the beginning to be attractive, and, perversely, the standard for what is considered to be attractive(thin, busty, fit, blonde/brunette, long-haired, hairless aside from the head) is impossible for most of them to achieve. They are marketed an endless array of products(from razors, waxing, make-up, plastic surgery, diets, etc.) that promise to "correct" their body's "deficiencies", leading to consumption of lots of otherwise useless garbage and depressing their self-esteem. Women must struggle a lot to accept themselves.

-Women are expected to maintain their own homes and be the primary caregivers to their children, regardless of what they do or what their husband does(the dynamic in lesbian couples is different and hopefully better). Men; meanwhile, are conditioned to believe that they should be the primary breadwinner, and that housework is women's work, and failing to be the primary breadwinner and/or doing housework makes them less of a man. This typically leads to women doing most of the housework and child-rearing even if they're working as much or more than a male partner, which is exhausting, to say the least, and gives them less time and energy for rubbing elbows with higher-ups(and leads those same higher-ups to perceive them as being less invested in "the company"). And, of course, biology mandates pregnancy is their burden to bear, and it is quite a heavy burden for which they receive minimal assistance in the U.S. at great cost(financial and otherwise).

-Women are pushed towards so-called "caring" professions: teaching, nursing, social work, etc. that pay less and are less respected in part because they are perceived as "women's work". This can change: programming used to be "women's work", but it came to be male-dominated in part because it came to be seen as important and lucrative.

-Men are generally rewarded by society for aggression, ambition, and self-promotion. Women with the same qualities are often viewed as unfeminine, pushy, bossy, or grasping.

-The upper echelons of society and basically everything within it are still nearly completely male-dominated. Intentionally and not, they tend to favor men, for a variety of reasons that are BS("culture fit" is a great one!)

That's incomplete and doesn't even begin to wrestle with race or intersectionality.